Saints named best landing spot for this emerging star HC candidate to replace Darren Rizzi

The first order of business for the New Orleans Saints this offseason will be finding their head coach. The team fired Dennis Allen in-season, then promoted Darren Rizzi to their interim head coach for the remainder of 2024. Rizzi, who had been the assistant head coach/special teams coordinator under Allen, has already earned some interviews around the league, including the Saints.

However, it's unlikely that Rizzi returns as the head coach in New Orleans. They're looking to finally nail this hire, as it's been reported that former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy could be a possible option. One under-the-radar option for the Saints could be Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, according to Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report.

Frankly, how the Saints treat this coaching hire is almost as important as who they hire. The Saints are on the precipice—a franchise that needs to decide whether to rebuild or jump with both feet into the abyss that is the Jeff Fisher zone. Hire a young offensive coach like Slowik. Be patient while the team pulls itself from salary-cap purgatory. And then reap the rewards when the young offense he helped build finally clicks.

Slowik's rise came with the emergence of C.J. Stroud over the last two seasons. The Texans had a down year in 2024 compared to the year prior, but Slowik is still expected to be one of the top candidates for a head coaching job during this cycle. Slowik comes from the Shanahan tree, coaching under Mike in Washington from 2010-2013, then with Kyle in San Francisco from 2017-2022. It was the Niners where Slowik rose the most, starting out as a defensive quality control coach then eventually ending up as the offensive passing game coordinator.

He's only been an offensive coordinator for two seasons in Houston, but Slowik could turn into a massive hire for the Saints.